Wouldn't 753bc (The year Rome was founded) be a better start date? it's only roughly 60 years difference, my three reasons are
1. Rome is founded, Rome are therefore playable from the start, you can't have too many emergant factions, they just stifle choice
2. Greece is in the latter part of a dark age which was caused by the Doric invasions and the fall of the Mycenean and Aetolian civilizations, not much written records of this period survive, it was during the 8th century BC when Greek culture began to re emerge
3. The Etruscans began to seperate themselves from Villanovan culture in this period, they became more civilized and founded more villages towards the end of the 8th century.
Also i would like to make a request for inclusion of the Urartu Faction
http://www.tacentral.com/erebuni/nairi.asp
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Urartu